POW
by LovePeaceandMusic
Summary: Belle Winifred is back! When she and Hawkeye are taken prisoner, Hawkeye blames everything on himself and decides he will make it up to her in a rather unconventional way that pushes him off the deep end.
1. Chapter 1

I came out from the OR, blinking in the bright sunlight. _It must be nearly afternoon… tomorrow afternoon, that is. _I yawned. We'd been in surgery for almost two days straight.

I headed for the mess tent and found Hawkeye and Trapper, my two best friends, sitting there. I sat down with a tray of food next to Hawkeye and across from Trapper. Trapper was eating; Hawkeye was staring blankly into a cup of coffee. I nudged him. "You okay?"

"I'm too tired to know," he answered sleepily. He leaned his head on my shoulder and closed his eyes.

Frank Burns and Margaret Houlihan came in. They were the second in command and head nurse, respectively, and also the two most obnoxious and military people in the camp.

"Pierce, get off of her," Margaret scolded.

Hawkeye opened one eye. "Make me."

"Tsk, tsk," Frank said cheerfully. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"That's the thing," Trapper said. "We woke up on the right side… _yesterday._"

Margaret glared at Frank. "Aren't you going to do something?" she murmured to him.

"Huh? Oh yeah…" Frank straightened up. "Pierce, I _command _you to-"

Hawkeye got up. "What's this war coming to? Can't even get some sleep in the mess tent!"

He murmured to me, "Can I come to your tent tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll get some sleep before then."

Then he left. Trapper and I went to sit with Henry, Father Mulcahy, Klinger, and Radar. Henry Blake is our commanding officer, and the company clerk is Radar. Father Mulcahy was our priest. Now Klinger is a character. He wants nothing more than to be shipped home and get out of the army. So he thinks that if he gets people to think that he's a psycho, he'll get sent home. So he does this… by dressing like a woman. Today he was wearing a black dress and pearls.

"You're dressed up today," I said.

"It's my mother's birthday."

After I ate, I went to my tent to get some sleep before Hawkeye would come over for our date.


	2. Chapter 2

I was up and getting ready for my date with Hawkeye when there was a knock on the door.

"Hello, Hawkeye," I greeted him at the door.

"Hi, lovely," he smiled. "Where should we go?"

"I don't know," I said as we started wandering aimlessly around the camp.

"There's always the minefield."

"Very funny."

Eventually, we got to the edge of camp and we both stared at the countryside. I turned around. "It's getting cold. I'm going to get a jacket."

"You couldn't have-" He was interrupted by several gunshots that hit the ground near us. I jumped closer to him. I didn't have time to ask what was going on before a short, stocky man came to us. With a gun pointed toward us, he said in broken English, "I help Korean cause! I take Americans! Listen to me." He got behind us and jabbed us in the backs with the gun. "Go."

"I think we better listen to him," Hawkeye murmured.

"No talk!" the man shouted with a sharp jab in Hawkeye's back.

We came a little ways into the fields where Hawkeye and I had been looking before. There was a jeep there. An American jeep. We were ushered into the back. The man started to drive away from camp towards the countryside. We weren't tied up, but every sound of move we made would make the man stop the jeep and turn towards us with gun aimed at whosever's chest that had made the noise or movement. We couldn't leave without being detected. There was no cover to speak of for us to shelter behind if we did make a break for it. We would either stay or be shot. We stayed.

Eventually, we got to a small, sturdily built hut with an equally sturdy looking shack next to it. We were herded into the small hut. The door was firmly closed and locked behind us. The hut was dark with no windows, although once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could see by a few shafts of moonlight that came through several cracks in the ceiling. I gasped as I saw the white gleam of bones in one corner.

"What does he want from us?" I asked.

"We may be hostages or prisoners. Although, I'm afraid he may be just keeping us here until we die. Less on the American side, you know?"

I could see he was trembling. He took my arm. "Come on, lovely. Let's sit."

He took me to one of the strongest beams of moonlight, away from the bones. I snuggled next to him and took comfort in his warmth and soon we were both fast asleep, holding on to one another.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: I've been getting a lot of questions/comments about how in the name of gravy did Hawkeye and Belle ever get to sleep. My answer? Well, because I told them to! The logic behind this? After all they had been through, they were wore out. Also, it was supposed to show their bond, because they could fall asleep after all this because they were with each other. If you don't like it, well, there will be some sleep deprivation in this story, but don't get upset if one of them falls asleep.

* * *

I was woken by Hawkeye screaming.

"What's going on?" I screeched, fear making my heart beat in double time. It was darker than before so I assumed clouds had covered the moon's light. I could only make out the hunched figure of Hawkeye who had stopped screaming and was now panting. I swung my head around, trying to make out any other figures who might have harmed him. I felt rage rising in my stomach and was almost ready to fight.

"Belle… I'm sorry. I got us landed in this place. You wouldn't have come out of your tent if it wasn't for me. It's going to be _my_ fault if you're hurt or… or… worse." My breath caught in my throat. It sounded as if Hawkeye was saying his death words.

"Hawkeye," I said, cautiously laying my hand on him. "What happened?"

"I had a nightmare and-"

"Wait, just a nightmare? You're not hurt?"

"Well, no…"

Relief washed over me. "Thank heaven. What were you saying?"

"Well, in the nightmare, you were killed and-" At this point, I realized his shoulders were shaking like he was sobbing.

"Are you crying, Hawkeye?"

"It's all my fault!" he wailed. "You were kidnapped because you were out of your tent because you were with me! We're both going to die here like that guy over there!" He indicated towards the bones. "And there's nothing I can do!"

By now, dawn light had begun to spill in through the cracks. I could see Hawkeye a bit more clearly. His head was buried in his hands. I wasn't sure exactly how to comfort him. Hawkeye never cried.

"Well… you're only here because you were with me. So… we're even."

He shook his head. "Don't try to comfort me. I don't deserve it. Do you know before you came along, there was only one girl who I was with that I loved? And she was smart. She left me. After that, I never thought I could love anyone like that again. And I didn't. Not until you."

"Hawkeye, that doesn't-"

"I'm terrible person for dragging an angel like you into this."

"You got yourself into this too. And it wasn't like it was on purpose."  
"Haven't you ever heard what happens to POWs?"

"Hawkeye, that man wasn't a soldier."

"So what? Tell him that!" Once again, he indicated towards the bones. "It didn't change his fate, did it?"

"Then, why weren't we restrained? I don't think we're in as much danger as a normal prisoner."

"So we're being held by a crazy vigilante. _Now _I'm comforted. Thanks a lot, Belle."  
"You don't have to get sarcastic."

He didn't answer. I saw a tear run down his cheek. I put my head on his shoulder and rubbed his back. We stayed like that for a while. Then, he straightened up. "I thought of a way I can make it up to you!"

"Huh?"

"I'll protect you, day and night."

"Well, of course. We'll protect each other."

Hawkeye seemed very pleased with himself. He wrapped his arm around me protectively.

The day stretched on. There was absolutely nothing to do. We weren't fed or given water and by the time the sun shone strongly like it was about noon, my mouth was dry and my stomach felt hollow, although I was able to ignore it for the most part.

"Do you think we might be able to break out?" I asked.

We got up and started pushing at the boards of the hut, trying to find a weak spot.

"This is really well-built," Hawkeye commented after awhile.

Eventually, we came up with a plan. Hawkeye and I both stood opposite to the door. We charged at it with all our might and crashed into the door with a thump. We landed in a dazed heap. Still inside the hut.

"Get up, Hawkeye. You're heavy."

He scrambled off me. "I certainly don't feel heavy. I'm starving. How bout you?"

"Yeah, though I try not to think about it," I answered, studying the door. I sighed. "I don't think we're getting out of here."

Eventually, night came. We hadn't been bothered by the man and I was beginning to believe that he really was just waiting for us to die. I wondered how the others at camp were reacting to our absence. Had anyone seen us leave? Surely they had noticed, it had been a whole day. With Hawkeye quiet, except for the occasional pacing around, and the threat of being tortured seeming to have passed, I soon found myself asleep


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I woke to see Hawkeye pacing back and forth in front of me.

"You're up early," I commented.

"Up early?" he said. "I'm not up early; I was never down at all."

"You mean you didn't go to sleep?" I asked, concerned. Maybe that nightmare was bothering him more than I thought.

"Of course. I said I was going to protect you day and night. How am I going to protect at night if I'm asleep?"

That didn't sound good. "Hawkeye… are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, it's just… well… That's kind of crazy."

"Crazy?" He laughed. "I'm not crazy. If I were crazy, wouldn't I have an insane laugh?"

Well, his laugh _did _sound normal. But I was pretty sure that wasn't the only way to tell if someone was crazy.

"Hawkeye, sooner or later, you're going to have to go to sleep."

"Yeah, and when I do, what will happen to you?"

"What will happen to _you _if you don't sleep?" I was beginning to feel a little agitated with him. Why wouldn't he see sense?

"I was fine last night, wasn't I?"

"Because of me!"

"And what did you do?"

He didn't answer. The time that passed could have been hours or maybe just minutes. I was losing my sense of time. It was like being in a long surgery, only with the worry that Hawkeye wasn't playing with a full deck of cards. Then the silence was broken by Hawkeye's gasp. "Did you hear that?"

"I only heard you."

"They're going to shoot!" He dived at me and pushed me to the ground.

"Hawkeye, no one's there," I said after a few more moments of silence, just this time with Hawkeye flattening me to the ground.

He reluctantly got up. "Well, I _thought _I heard something."

"I told you need to go to sleep and stop worrying for a bit. You're going to give yourself a heart attack." _If you don't give _me _one first,_ I added silently.

"You don't understand," he said.

"What if _I_ decided to not go to sleep?" I decided he might see sense if I reversed the roles.

"What use would that be? You don't owe me anything."

"And neither do you!" Why couldn't he get that idea out of his head. "_It's not your fault."_

"It _is _my fault, and you're not going to get me to change my mind!"

Eventually, the light coming through the cracks dimmed and I assumed it was dusk.

"Do you think we could reach the cracks and get through them?" Hawkeye asked.

I looked up. Even the largest one was no wider than five inches. "I doubt it," I said. Although, with my throat sore and my insides aching with hunger, not to mention Hawkeye's mental state, I was ready to try it. "But we can try."

Hawkeye stood under the crack and tried to lift me onto his shoulders. The first try he dropped me. Apologizing over and over again, he helped me to my feet for a second try. That time, I got one foot on his shoulder before he lost his balance and we both fell.

"I'm sorry, Belle," he said dully. "I can't do it."

"It's alright, Hawkeye."

"No, it's not. I'm completely worthless. If you had Trapper with you, he could have done it."

"Hawkeye," I said, putting my arms around him. "Hawkeye, you're not worthless. You're worth the world to me. Trapper's my friend, but he could never be the same as you."

"So… you still love me?"

"Always."

But I was still worried. As the night went on, I found myself dozing off, but Hawkeye started pacing again. If Hawkeye didn't go to sleep again tonight, that would be more than a day without sleep. I knew we'd stayed up later than that in surgery, but not by much. And Hawkeye always was tired after that and went to bed. He was never like this. I was sure he had imagined the threat earlier today when he thought we would be shot. And I couldn't help but think that we would have been able to get out if he had more rest and therefore, more strength.

I just hoped this wasn't a permanent change.


	5. Chapter 5

It was midday the next day. Or at least, that's what I assumed, the light coming through the cracks was very bright. I didn't really care when it was. I was worried about Hawkeye. Now, instead of imagining sounds like he did before, he was imagining _people. _He had talked to both Henry and Trapper today asking them how they got here and if they sent help. The strangest thing was when he would pause and stare intensely at nothing as if he was listening and then say something that was apparently an answer. Also he would come and sit next to me and tell me how much he loved me before he would pace again.

Now he came over hurriedly to me.

"Trapper, can you give me some advice?" he asked.

I was thoroughly confused. He was looking straight into my eyes, there was no doubt he was talking to me. I didn't want to upset him so I decided to pretend I was Trapper.

"Sure, Hawk. What is it?"

He sank down to the ground and, for the first time, he looked weary.

"Well, you see I've been trying to be brave for Belle. I told her I would protect her."

"Uh huh," I said, trying to sound as if this was something new.

He sighed. "She keeps telling me to go to sleep and that she's fine on her own, but-"

"She's probably right."

"I know but that's not the point. I'm trying to prove that I deserve her and that she can trust me."

"Are you trying to prove it to Belle or to yourself?"

"I don't know anymore. But I'm so exhausted." He yawned.

"Then go to sleep."

"But Belle-"

"Isn't that what Belle wants you do to?"

He still looked uncertain.

"I can look after mys- I mean her."

He didn't seem to notice my slip up. "Well... all right," he agreed and lay down.

It didn't take long before his steady breathing told me he was asleep. _Well, that's one problem solved._ I watched the rise and fall of his chest for awhile before I heard a jeep outside.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, that's the end of this story. I know, I know, it was pitifully short, but I just really wasn't going to get any more out of this story so… here it is.

* * *

I heard voices. I recognized American accented English and wild hope fluttered in my chest. Then I recognized the Korean man's voice. He sounded angry. I thought he was telling them to go away. I was pretty sure they were demanding to be allowed to search his two buildings. I heard gunshots. The sudden noise of gunfire had woken Hawkeye, to my disappointment. _I had _finally _got him to go to sleep. It took him days to figure that out._

But my irritated thoughts were interrupted by the door being kicked down. Hawkeye screamed and threw himself against me.

"What's going on? What's going on?" he wailed.

The sudden amount of sunlight pouring in blinded me for a moment, but I could make out two broad shouldered figures standing in the hut looking around. One went into the corner where I knew the skeleton was. The other turned to Hawkeye and me, huddled together on the ground.

Before we knew it, our Korean captor was carted off to who cares where and, more importantly, Hawkeye and I were being taken to MASH 4077 where I knew we would get the best care anywhere.

"Hawk! Belle! Henry, Radar come see, they're back!" Trapper yelled joyously once we pulled into the camp. He turned back, concern etched in his face. I knew we must look pitiful.

The next few days passed in a haze. We were kept in post-op for our bodies to recover from malnutrition and dehydration. Hawkeye finally seemed at ease and was able to sleep.

But we recovered and we were going to the mess tent for the first time since we returned. Hawkeye and I stopped in surprise as we stepped in the door. There was a large banner that read "We're glad you're back, Belle and Hawkeye!" Everyone was gathered under it smiling.

Henry stepped forward. "Well, we were pretty worried when Radar said he saw a jeep leaving when there had been none missing and then you two disappeared…"

"And now that you're better, we want to celebrate!" Trapper continued.

There was a loud cheer and suddenly Hawkeye and I found ourselves the center of attention. And after our neglect suffered at the hands of our insane captor, it was a refreshing change.

* * *

Thank you to all my loyal readers and to my reviewers: maximom4077, Meatball Surgeons, Lady Nightwisp, beahawk, Hawk's-GaL4077, KreativeKristine, Kreative Kerri, KB, and Kristine.


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